Slow-baked chickpeas
Greek simplicity at its finest ✨Slow-baked chickpeas from Sifnos, or Revithada Sifnou. Ladies and gents, even I was blown away by how much flavor and depth this dish has, which almost seems impossible given how few ingredients there are. Truth be told, I had always made revithada on the stove, the way my aunt showed me. It was fine and I liked it but it wasn’t top of any list for me. After trying this traditional way of preparing chickpeas from the island of Sifnos, this is now a top bean dish for me and I can’t get over how delicious it is!
Six hours in the oven seems like forever, but now’s the time to try a low and slow dish like this when so many of us are still home-bound anyway! Just get this in the oven before noon and your dinner is sorted!
The traditional way to make this dish in Sifnos is in a clay vessel - something I don’t own yet, but someday... Any heavy, lidded dish or pot will work.
Revithada Sifnou (Slow-baked chickpeas from Sifnos)
18 oz (500g) chickpeas
6 cups (1.2L) filtered water
3/4 cup (180ml) olive oil
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper
lemon juice, to serve
Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. The next day, drain and rinse well.
Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C).
Place the chickpeas in a heavy lidded baking dish or dutch oven. Ensure your lid doesn't have a steam vent, as we want all that steam trapped inside. I used a heavy enameled cast iron pan from Le Creuset.
Combine all remaining ingredients with the chickpeas, except for the lemon juice. The water should both cover the chickpeas as well as come almost up to the top of your pan or dish. In other words, do not use a super large cooking vessel with a lot of room left in it after all the ingredients are added. Cover with the lid.
Place in the oven and bake for 6 hours. Check occasionally, only after the 3-4 hour mark, to ensure the mixture is not too dry. Add hot water from a kettle only if needed.
Serve with lemon juice on each serving and plenty of good bread and a salad on the side.
